Emergency Department Misuse: Ethical Solutions

     Here is the link to my presentation since we didn't get to go over all of the videos in class. Also, I have attached the article about Patient G, the ultimate frequent flyer. Patient G has extremely high blood pressure and always reports to the hospital with chest pain and shortness of breath, which usually requires immediate admission. However, the staff has began turning him away to to the frequency of visits,  most of the time by ambulance. In the article, it links Patient G's excessive emergency room visits, sometimes once a shift, to a need for the social interaction and not for food or to have a bed and roof over his head. In my experience, many individuals use the emergency room as a place where they can socialize, ease anxiety and kill loneliness.

"And there our patient and the staff of the ED remain, at a difficult and seemingly interminable impasse. A man who refuses to take any responsibility for his own health becomes our responsibility every day. " -hospital staff about Patient G

     In the video we skipped after the box "Frequent Flyer"s, a healthcare worker explains the limitations of doctor's in a busy emergency room. Physicians often don't have the time to worry about homelessness, where a person will sleep, arrangement of transportation and many other social constraints frequent users face. Even if they had the time, do physicians have the knowledge to counsel these patients and the resources to meet their special needs? Please feel free to post any comments or questions related to the presentation or the subject matter.



   

Patient G Article

DQs:

• What are ethical solutions for misuse of the emergency department?
• Should someone ever be turned away or banned from the hospital?
• How can we help physicians remain healthy and receptive of their patients?
• What should be done about frequent flyers?